Virginia Lawmakers Put 20-Week Abortion Ban on Hold

A plan to put an unconstitutional pre-viability abortion ban into place in Virginia has been tabled for now, after a 20-week abortion ban became stuck in committee.

NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia Executive Director Tarina Keene applauded the general assembly for their decision to forgo more legislation to restrict women’s rights.

“Today is a clear victory for the women of Virginia,” said Tarina Keene, Executive Director of NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia. She continued, “It’s a rare day in the Virginia General Assembly when reason reigns supreme.”

“These bills, if passed, would have posed a serious threat to women’s health by not taking into account individual circumstances and banning abortions at twenty weeks gestation. The sponsors of these bills want to take medicine out of the hands of doctors and decisions out of the hands of women and their families. Politicians should not interfere in these deeply personal, private medical decisions.”

“While we will celebrate this victory today, we know anti-choice legislators are not deterred,”said Keene. “Despite this session’s preoccupation with women’s health, we also aren’t deterred. NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia will continue to fight every day to protect women’s health and rights.”

Virginia proposed a wave of anti-women laws previously this session, earning criticism from women across the state. A proposed mandatory forced vaginal ultrasound bill was watered down earlier this year after outcry from activists and voters.